Aids HIV FAQ

PRIESTLY (ETC.) PAPER #2: NUTRITION VS. AIDS

Question:

While some of the assertions about the role of HIV are sloppy or inaccurate, this paper does address well the role of antioxidants in treating AIDS. Californ          Losing ground in the battle against this deadly disease.                            by Karolyn A. Gazella           (Health Counselor VOL.5, NO.4, P.25-29, OCT/NOV, 1993) HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is not a death sentence. Although it has proven to be an unyielding opponent, the war is not over.  Many experts believe this battle will be won on the nutritional front.      The "magic bullet" that researchers have pined for over the past decade is just not available.  It will take a multidisciplinary approach that concentrates on nutritional intervention, said Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., C.N.S., RD.  According to Dr. Lieberman, "Physicians are now stepping beyond the boundaries of typical medicine."      Joan Priestly, M.D. (known as the "Queen of AIDS" because of her innovative work in this area) agrees with Dr. Lieberman.  "It (AIDS) is too complicated a disease, and has too many other factors involved."  The magic bullet mentality will never work, concluded Dr. Priestly.      What is showing the most promise in AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) treatment?  "The nutritional and plant substances being studied presently are getting statistically far greater results than the drugs that have been made available," said Dr. Lieberman.      It should be emphasized that so far, there is no proven cure for this dreadful disease.  Nutrition-oriented researchers look for ways to extend and improve the quality of life.      Dr. Lieberman explained that simply raising T-cells, the goal of available AIDS drugs, is no longer significant.  Dr. Lieberman said T-cells are just one component of a very complicated immune system.      "Unless you significantly improve survival time, you are not successful," she concluded.  Because of the toxicity of AIDS drugs and the havoc this disease wreaks on the immune system, Dr. Lieberman believes nutritional intervention is the key to life extension for the HIV-infected patient. Soldiers of immunity      Many nutrients and herbs have a long, proven history as immune system protectors.  The feed the immune system, allowing it to do its job more effectively.  The immune system is the battlefield where the war against AIDS takes place.      White blood cells provide us with the ammunition we need to fight off illness and remain in good health.  Lymphocytes and phagocytes are white blood cells that protect us from invading organisms.      Lymphocytes take the invading organisms to the spleen where these organisms are filtered out.  Phagocytes are important because they travel throughout the body eating invading organisms. Lymphocytes originate in the bone marrow and then travel to the thymus gland, the master gland of immunity, where they mature.      According to Julian Whitaker, M.D., even though the thymus gland "controls and modulates the immune system, it is virtually ignored" by physicians and researchers.      These lymphocytes are called T-cells, T for thymus.  There are many important types of T-cells, such as killer T-cells and helper T-cells. According to the textbook Health Psychology, by Edward Sarafino, the HIV virus is thought to destroy the body’s T-cells, specifically the helper T-cells, which causes its victim to become defenseless against AIDS.      According to Dr. Lieberman, whose New York-based practice is about one-half HIV related cases, the AIDS patient does not die of AIDS, but of "opportunity infections" such as pneumonia and skin cancer.      HIV wears down the immune system, leaving its victims vulnerable to all kinds of immune diseases.  That is why nutritional support is so important.      "Nutritional intervention is critical because the nutrients take over, in part, some of the functions of the immune system which become impaired because of the virus, said Dr. Lieberman. Cancer of the immune system      It was Dr. Lieberman who first coined the phrase.  She is convinced that AIDS is cancer of the immune system.      "The manifestations of the illness (symptomology, outcome, etc.) are very similar to cancer," Dr. Lieberman explained.  The changes in the immune system, she said, are very similar in both the AIDS patient and the cancer patient.      Lieberman said researchers, doctors and patients should start looking at this like a cancer.  Just as with cancer, there is no one cure; however, people have survived.  A multidisciplinary approach is needed.      For her patients who are HIV positive, Dr. Lieberman establishes a strict diet, a nutritional supplement protocol, and a comprehensive exercise program.  Because the HIV patient is usually susceptible to parasites and microbes, Dr. Lieberman also recommends a pancreatic enzyme supplement.  New AIDS research utilizing pancreatic enzymes is showing promise, she said.      Dr. Lieberman also does not recommend that her patients use AZT or other AIDS drugs on the market. The problem with drugs…      AZT was the first FDA-approved drug introduced to fight AIDS. Unfortunately, the results have been not only disappointing, but deadly. Countless references report that AZT causes severe anemia, to the point where frequent blood transfusions are necessary.      According to Living With The AIDS Virus by Parris Kidd, Ph.D and Wolfgang Huber, Ph.D, "Another unfortunate complication of AZT therapy may be an increased risk for cancer."  The authors report that the risk for developing non-Hodgkins B-cell lymphoma can be as great as 46% higher than normal.      Not only is AZT expensive (nearly $3,000 per year), the authors believe "Its benefits are fleeting, and its side effects can be life-threatening."      Dr. Priestly, whose AIDS practice is in Florida, wrote, "Ten years and one ineffective drug is not a very good track record."      Dr. Priestly developed a five-point plan for survival for her patients, which consisted mostly of uninsured individuals who could not afford AZT.  (For an overview of Dr. Priestly’s protocol, refer to the side bar featured on page 27.)      Dr. Priestly reported in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine in 1991, "My patients just seem to coast along without complications.  They do extremely well."      Out of 100 patients who are following Dr. Priestly’s protocol religiously, she has seen only 20 deaths in over two years.  She noted that those 20 deaths were people who came to her with more complicated clinical manifestations of the disease.      Because AIDS is a retrovirus, it mutates against drugs after a period of time.  Dr. Lieberman and Dr. Priestly report higher success rates in their nutritionally-oriented, holistic clinics than among those patients who have pursued AZT protocols. Antioxidants are critical      Antioxidants are at the heart of any nutritional AIDS protocol. Vitamin C, beta carotene, Vitamin E, zinc, and selenium are widely used in therapeutic doses by nutrition-oriented AIDS physicians.      "Vitamin C is really the foundation, a cornerstone of an AIDS management, AIDS prevention program," said Dr. Priestly.  She usually recommends as much as 18 grams a day.  Dr. Lieberman concurred, as her patients usually work up to between 9 and 15 grams per day.      According to Living With The AIDS Virus, vitamin C has been shown to enhance phagocyte activity.  Too little vitamin C causes impaired phagocyte function, limiting "their ability to track down and kill bacteria and other infectious agents."      In his book Vitamin C: Who Needs It?, Emanual Cheraskin, M.D., cites the work of the Linus Pauling Institute in California.  The Pauling Institute has demonstrated in both humans and in the test tube "the antiviral activity of vitamin C against a broad spectrum of viruses," including HIV-infected cells.      Dr. Kidd and Dr. Huber note that beta carotene has been shown to boost human T-4 helper cells, which are the cells the AIDS virus attacks. They cite a study featured in Immunology Letters which concluded "high oral doses of beta carotene increased the number of T-4 helper cells, and the total mature T-cells, in the blood of healthy subjects."  The data suggests "that beta carotene administration might be considered for patients with AIDS."      Vitamin E is not only an important antioxidant, it has also been shown to increase lymphocyte activity.  According to Living With The AIDS Virus, "Supplementation with vitamin E beyond levels of the standard diet was found to enhance antibody production in a variety of animal studies."      "For best results, you need to use the antioxidants together," explained Dr. Lieberman.  Because the nutrients work synergistically, far better results are reported when a complete antioxidant approach is used.      Minerals are also important, particularly zinc, said Dr. Lieberman. Dr. Priestly has found that AIDS patients are deficient in most minerals, specifically calcium, magnesium, selenium, molybdenum, iron, and zinc.      According to AIDS researchers Patrick Donovan, N.D. and Herb Joiner-Bey, N.D., "Zinc is widely recognized as an immune system potentiator." (For more information about zinc, see this issue’s Spotlight on nutrition on page 36.)      Dr. Priestly believes the AIDS patient is not absorbing proteins and minerals because of pancreatic problems.  She corrects the problem by giving pancreatic enzymes as replacement therapy. (For more information about pancreatic enzymes, see page 41 of this issue.)      A recent report in the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry touted the antioxidant activity of green barley leaves.  The researchers concluded that in addition to the antioxidant activity, the plant flavonoids possess antiviral activity, and … read more »

Response:

>While some of the assertions about the role of HIV are sloppy or inaccurate, >this paper does address well the role of antioxidants in treating AIDS.

(various statements meant to infer that quoted sources are the most reputable removed..) >     What is showing the most promise in AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency >Syndrome) treatment?  "The nutritional and plant substances being studied >presently are getting statistically far greater results than the drugs >that have been made available," said Dr. Lieberman.

So? Let’s see the data! Handwaving is still just handwaving, even if you attach the word "statistical" to it. Out here is the boonies, where I come from, we are hopelessly behind the times: we think that a reasonable inference is that when you say something is "statistically" greater, that means you must have credible, analyzable data. If this Lieberman has this data, why hasn’t she published it? This is an enormously dramatic and provocative statement. Data that would support such a claim ethically should not be withheld. And despite the dissonance’ claim of suppression of their opinions, any journal in the world would take a well done study with such dramatic implications. Sheesh. Adding buzzwords doesn’t make all this more believable. Carlton  |                                                                     |  | Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS Statistical Center |  | Coordinating Center for Biometric Research                          |  | Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health                  |  | University of Minnesota                                             |  | 2221 University Ave SE, Suite 200         Voice: (612) 626 8899     |  | Minneapolis  MN 55414                     FAX: (612) 626 8892       |    Affiliation Provided for Sake of Identification, not Representation

Response:

Filed under: HIV